Warfire | Broken Time Series: Book Two

Chapter 5

Yet he found himself walking past his office door.

"Might as well collect some studying material," Professor Fai muttered to himself, occasionally nodding to a student passing. There weren't many wandering the corridors at this hour, opting to roam outside, stay in their dorm room, or even loiter in the library. The passerby became even more scarce as he got closer to Master Dagmire's office. Surely he wouldn't mind if he borrowed a few books.

If he could even find the books he was looking for. Master Dagmire did have a reputation for being disorganized when it came to his personal space.

Professor Fai was surprised, however, when he entered an office that was less chaotic as usual. Not completely sorted through, and looked to be in the process of reshelving, but much more presentable.

Ah, that could only mean one thing, then.

"I wasn't aware you were still being disciplined, Nagan," he said amused.

There was a snort to his left. He turned in time to see the boy look over his shoulder and offer a small nod before continuing to sort through books. "If anything, I'm more of an assistant rather than an apprentice."

Nagan placed a journal on a growing tower of books before fully facing Professor Fai, his expression quizzical. "Is there something you need?"

"Yes, actually," Professor Fai said. "It was decided that I am the most suited for teaching the new Dragonmages how to care for their dragons once they've hatched."

He glanced around the room at the various piles of books. "Do you by any chance know where the dragon manuals and studies are?"

"Oh." Nagan looked faintly surprised as he pointed to a stack on the desk with bookmarks sticking out between pages, one book still laid open. "Those are the most useful ones. The rest felt too advanced."

"So organizing Master Dagmire's office wasn't the only thing you were doing in here," Professor Fai said while strolling towards the desk, only to hear a sputter from the boy behind him.

Nagan looked like an affronted cat. "I had permission," he said, his tone irked, as he climbed up a ladder.

"Should I believe that?" the professor continued to needle, earning him another snort.

"I've learned my lesson when it comes to sticking my nose where it doesn't belong."

"Ah, I can't argue with that."

The professor watched with surprise and amusement as Nagan began silently calling books to his hand. Each book wavered and sputtered a bit while in the air, but it was well known the boy's magic was more reactive than the rest. No wonder he turned out to be a drakon instead of an elva. Nonetheless, he truly was ahead of the rest of his peers, spawning admiration and jealousy.

I wonder what you did in your past life to earn such good and ill-luck, he chuckled to himself.

Turning his attention to the books on the desk, he determined they were, in fact, the basics of dragon care. But upon closer inspection, he noticed each bookmark had writing on it. It was unfamiliar in letters, but he knew notes when he saw them.

"Nagan?" he looked up at Nagan with a quirk to his brow.

The boy paused and held onto the ladder tightly to not fall off. "Yes?"

"Why were you studying this in the first place? Did you think we wouldn't teach you?"

As the words left his mouth, he intended it as a joke, yet he found the boy looking away sheepishly. Did he really think...? "Nagan?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, Professor," Nagan began, "but things haven't been the most stable lately. We know you're trying your best...but we can still feel it."

Professor Fai's heart sank at those words, but even he knew it was true. You didn't need to be one of the genius students of Carvolier, as they've been called, to know everything was taking a turn for the worst. A mediocre could figure it out. They were in the midst of a war for crying out loud.

But even so, it hurt the professor more than it should have, knowing his students didn't feel supported.

He ushered those emotions away as Nagan climbed down the ladder and stood next to him. The boy could be oddly perceptive when he wanted to be, and it would do more harm than good if he were to pick up on his insecurities.

"If only you didn't write your notes in Rakshu. Then half of the work would've already been done for me," he said, directing Nagan's attention away from himself to the scrawl on the bookmarks. "Was it your choice, or did the others ask you to teach them?"

"They asked," Nagan said. "We tried going to the older students, but in the end, it wouldn't have worked out. Our schedules contradict too much. In the end, I wrote down their advice and began coming here to do more research."

"So you didn't ask permission."

"Pay attention to the subject," Nagan quipped before continuing. "I can translate them if you want, but I'm not sure how good they are."

Professor Fai nodded. "I trust your competency, and I'll take you up on that offer. Less work for me."

He paused, considering an idea, before looking at Nagan from the corner of his eye. "You do well in practicals and are clearly ahead of the rest. And Master Dagmire has said on multiple occasions how you become bored easily. Perhaps... How would you like to become my assistant?"

Nagan shifted to the side as he considered.

"You're trustworthy, diligent," he continued, "intelligent, sharp, and do well with teaching. Couldn't ask for a more competent student to become my assistant."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Nagan deadpanned.

"Please let me save some face here, I'm stressed enough as it is."

"I can help after classes, and I suggest putting the dragon caring class in the evening as well," Nagan said with a shrug.

"Excellent. If you could translate your notes tonight, I should be somewhere within the castle tomorrow."

To most of the student population, Professor Fai was the most hardworking and an imposing face to come across. Not that it was untrue, but all combat students knew the real Professor Fai was a man who loved to cut corners.